John Weeks Moore

“ Blow are in general more smooth and natural than his other productions, and, indeed, than any other ballads of his time ; there is more melody than in those of Henry Lawes, or any composers of the pre-ceding reign ; yet it is not of that graceful kind in which the Italians were now advancing to-wards perfection with great rapidity. It is either of a Scotch cast, or of a languid kind, that ex-cites no other sensation than fatigue and drowsiness. ”

“ Blow was stimulated to this publication by emulation, envy, or the solicitation of his scholars and friends, by whom there are no less than fifteen encomiastic copies of verses prefixed to the work, the ungrateful public seems to have always remained insensible to these strains of the modern Amphion, which were not only incapable of building cities, but even of supporting his own tottering frame. ”